The SA firms leading the charge to change concussion management

SA firms are leading the way with groundbreaking technology that could revolutionise concussion management across sports of all levels.

South Australian firms are leading the way with groundbreaking technology that could revolutionise the way concussions are managed in sports at both professional and grassroots levels.

With the shock death of Antonio Loiacono, 20, at a country football match last weekend still rippling through the sporting community, there is a fresh urgency to address the concerning concussion problem.

The tragedy has prompted calls from league leaders and medical professionals to introduce methods – such as “concussion passports” – to track players’ history of head-related injuries.

And it’s innovative technology from South Australian organisations like Neuroflex and Sport and Real Knowledge (SPARK) that could make that a reality.

NeuroFlex is already being used by major sporting organisations such as FIFA and The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) after successfully trialling the technology over the past two years.

Birdwood footballer Antonio Loiacono died after an on-field collision during an Adelaide Hills Football League match. Picture: Supplied

In a sad irony, it was also being used by the Gumeracha Football Club – who Mr Loiacono was playing against when he suffered critical injuries last Saturday.

NeuroFlex’s head of research Dr David Stevens said the eye-tracking technology uses virtual reality to conduct a vestibular and oculomotor screen test.

“These assessments have been around for a long time, however it was either the old follow a finger with your eyes … or if you wanted the objective data, you had to go into a specialised laboratory in a hospital,” Dr Stevens said.

“What we’re doing is basically taking the hospital to the sideline.”

He said the objective data it provides is used to help inform and guide rehabilitation.

“Our assessments are already used by neurologists and physiotherapists,” Mr Stevens said.

“Because of the longitudinal data that we can provide, we can also track the brain health of players or individuals throughout their whole career.”

Former Sturt SANFLW player Tiah Hough walked away from football after the NeuroFlex technology gave her more clarity about her concussion injuries. Picture: supplied

Former Sturt SANFLW player Tiah Hough walked away from football after the NeuroFlex technology gave her more clarity about her concussion injuries. Picture: supplied

Former Sturt SANFLW player Tiah Hough was one of the first to experience the direct benefits of the technology.

At just 17 years of age, she suffered her third head knock while Sturt was trialling NeuroFlex at the start of 2022.

Using the data would have otherwise not been available, it was recommended that she rethink her football career.

Ms Hough ultimately made the decision to walk away from the game.

“If I wasn’t a part of the testing, I would have no clue about half the information that I know now,” she said.

“My recovery would be further back than it is now or I would have gone back to playing when I shouldn’t have.”

Headed by former Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas, SPARK has also been working in conjunction with researchers in the United States, to put affordable easy-to-use technology in the hands of medical teams at the grassroots level.

Mr Thomas said a third clinical trial of their technology with Goodwood Saints, in the Adelaide Footy League, will begin next month.

“We’re trying to develop a device which will provide doctors, parents and coaches with an objective measuring tool, that will take the guesswork out of the diagnosis,” he said.

The technology is used to conduct an ‘EEG test’, which measures the brain electrical activity at a baseline level.

The NeuroFlex technology has been trialled across the world including in the SANFL. Picture: supplied

The device is then used to monitor a person’s brain within minutes of suffering a suspected concussion to determine the changes in their brain’s activity.

“It feeds in the normal, subjective measures that doctors and trainers would use, asking a series of questions and then testing the cognitive response,” Mr Thomas said.

“It then also applies machine learning from thousands of previous tests and can give a reading as to whether you are concussed or not concussed.”

Mr Thomas said further monitoring will then be conducted throughout the players recovery period.

“We can get a sense of how the brain is recovering in real time, so it’s an incredibly comprehensive test,” he said.

“So you can imagine if a club had that in their toolkit, they can one, make sure players are being diagnosed properly at the time, and two, aren’t coming back to play too soon.”

Goodwood Saints president Jordan Dodd said the club was “privileged” to part of SPARK’s research.

“The Goodwood Saints take concussions and concussion protocols very seriously,” she said.

“The technology will not only increase the safety of individual players, but it’s vital for the longevity of the AFL and all contact sports.

“Any program or research around concussion should be supported and I think the idea of a concussion passport is well worth investigating.”